Businesses, schools, hospitals, and other organizations often need to exchange electronic data. Nevertheless, the data processing systems at different organizations typically use different data formats, which are developed for specialized purposes. For example, a first data format may include a name record having a 20 character last name field followed by a 15 character first name field, while a second data format may include a name record having an 18 character first name field followed by an 18 character last name field.
A first organization, such as a bank, may program its data processing equipment to use the first data format, while a second organization, such as a printing company, may program its data processing equipment to use the second data format. If the bank transfers its records to the printing company without any intermediate processing, the printing company data processing equipment will read the first 18 characters of the 20 character bank last name field as the first name field. In order for the bank to transfer electronic data to the printing company, a common data format must be chosen by the bank and the printing company. This common format may be the same as the bank's format or the printing company's format, but both organizations must program their data processing systems to read and write data that will be transferred between the two organizations in the common format.
Electronic data interchange (EDI) generally refers to the process of transmitting and receiving data in a predetermined digital format. This process has been standardized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ANSI Standard ASC X.12 Version 3 release 6 is the latest standard promulgated by the ANSI Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) for EDI. Although this standard may constantly change, the standard remains a uniform EDI format for use by organizations involved in EDI.
The ANSI Standard organizes EDI hierarchically into five levels. These are the interchange control structure, the functional group structure, the document type or "transaction set," the "segment," and the "element." Each transaction set may include one or more segments, some of which are required and others which are optional. Likewise, each segment may include one or more required and optional elements.
In essence, the ANSI EDI Standard is a set of general rules for creating and interpreting electronic documents based upon the transaction set, segments, and elements specified in the ANSI Standard. Organizations can then program data processing equipment to recognize the appropriate transaction sets, segments, and elements in EDI information.
Although transaction sets, segments, and elements have been defined in the ANSI EDI Standard, many segments and their associated elements for a particular transaction set are optional. Therefore, two different organizations may have the same transaction set or document, but may also have different segments and elements for that transaction set. Furthermore, the variations in segments in a transaction set may complicate the processing of the data associated with the transaction set. Optional segments and segment variations essentially result in a large number of potential formats for any given EDI transaction set. This situation may complicate the processing of EDI information between two organizations.
The data processing equipment for processing the many data formats must be set up or programmed to handle each new common data format prior to receiving or generating data in the new format. Existing software tools for generating the data processing commands for receiving and composing data in new common data formats are time-consuming to use because they may require frequent referral to the cumbersome ANSI Standard when writing the data processing software. In addition, existing software tools may not be capable of generating data processing commands for receiving and transmitting EDI document formats that deviate from ANSI Standard formats.
Co-pending application "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE INFORMATION," Ser. No. 08/646,656, commonly owned and assigned with the present application, presents a method for generating processor operating commands for controlling a processor to receive data in a common data format and to convert that data into a data format of the receiving organization. Nevertheless, a system and method are required for generating data processing commands that cause a processor to compose a data file having a new common data format from a data file having the transmitting organization's original data format.